Whispers in the Sky
Encyclopedia
"Whispers in the Sky" refers to an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 controversy
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...

 in 2005.

The controversy centred around an Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 match in Round 21 on 19 August 2005
2005 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

 between Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

 and St Kilda.

The match had been highly controversial, with Fremantle coming from behind to win by five points following a mark taken by Justin Longmuir
Justin Longmuir
Justin Longmuir is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He was a key position forward or ruckman who played for the Fremantle Football Club...

 with seconds left in the match and then kicking a goal after the siren. Numerous contentious free kicks in the match had angered Saints fans and the anger was intensified after allegations by Channel 9 journalist Tony Jones that he had been told by umpire Matthew Head
Matthew Head
Matthew Head is a former Australian rules football umpire in the Australian Football League ....

 on the plane, "Now I know what it feels like to have a victory." (Head had given five contentious free kicks to Fremantle inside their attacking 50, all which resulted in goals. Along with Tony Jones, several other passengers overheard this comment, including one man who wrote the quote on his boarding pass. An investigation by the AFL later cleared the umpire of any wrongdoing.

This was the second of a string of three consecutive controversial Fremantle versus St Kilda games. In their first meeting of 2005, St Kilda won by one point which they scored from a contentious holding the ball
Holding the ball
Holding the ball is a law in Australian Rules Football. It is necessary to prevent players from slowing down play. Instead of the umpire having to bounce the ball , it allows the defence a way to take possession directly from the attacking team.-Main Interpretation:The most basic description of...

 decision in St Kilda's forward line. In their first meeting of 2006
AFL siren controversy, 2006
The AFL siren controversy of 2006 surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during Round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season...

, the most controversial of all, St Kilda tied the game with a behind scored after the final siren at Aurora Stadium
Aurora Stadium
York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park has been known as Aurora Stadium under a six-year naming rights agreement signed with Aurora Energy in 2004...

, but before the umpire ended the game. The AFL Commission intervened and changed the result of the game three days later to keep in line with the laws of the game.
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